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Friday, January 1, 2010

Goals for 2010

Those who have been following my blog or know me from some other way already know that I am very goal oriented. I'm very demanding of myself and believe strongly that if I set attainable, yet aggressive, goals it helps motivate me to be my best. Goals also must be measurable (simply getting "better" isn't measurable and is more akin to a resolution) and relevant.

The first goal I set was to be at least 10% lighter for 2010 Eagleman 70.3 in June than I was for 2009 Eagleman 70.3. This means weighing no more than 226 pounds on race day and translates into losing about a pound per week. It won't be easy but I think this is attainable.

Is 10% a good improvement in Functional Threshold power (FTP)? I think I'd be happy with that so put another goal in the books of FTP > 305 watts.

This "10 percent in 2010" improvement goal concept seemed interesting to me. The first two goals, weight loss and power, while interesting and measurable really are there to support health and ultimately performance so I decided to see what this means in terms of my race performances. I took my PR times, did the math, and came up with this:

5K 29:57-10% = 26:57

4M 42:34-10% = 38:18

5M/8K 55:30-10% = 49:57

10K 1:08:16-10% = 1:01:25

15K 1:44:19-10% = 1:33:52

1/2 Marathon-10% = 2:16:03

Olympic Triathlon 3:44:57-10% = 3:22:45

Half Iron Triathlon 6:59:57-10% = 6:17:57

I looked at these goal times and feel that some are a little of a reach while others are a big reach but I decided to go with them with a few caveats:

Most of these distances aren't what I would call "A" race distances.

It is probable that I won't run all of these distances this year. Others might be raced only once. Still others will be somewhat frequent. Some of these distances/races may just be training days where I want a free shirt and water along the way or just want to run with someone.

I also know that a 10 percent improvement year on year is unsustainable. Fortunately (or unfortunately) my performance to date and my physical state, I think, gives me a shot at these so 10 percent in 2010 is it.

But these times, while nice, got me thinking and questioning which goals are most important. I know that keeping injury free, increasing strength, increasing flexibility and having fun can all be goals unto themselves but are they are very difficult to measure objectively. I also figured that missing some (or possibly many ) of these race time goals isn't going to make or break my season. So what will make this season a success?

Then it came to me. The most important goal for 2010 is for both me and my family to believe that I have a reasonable shot at training for and finishing a full ironman distance race in 2011 (full disclosure: I'll be a half century old in 2011). That means that I've improved my fitness. I probably would have reduced my injuries and I'll be having fun. So, if we all believe 140.6 as doable and probable, I will sign up for a late 2011 race in 2010. Which one doesn't matter (yet) but a the biggest goal of 2010 will be my evident my by 2011 race calendar.

8 comments:

The 10% increase one is an interesting one - but I completely agree with you on the long term aspirations. A combination of be prepared but do no harm to reach that ultimate ironman. Hope you have a great 2010 to get you there!

FWIW, it takes 2 minutes on analyticcycling to realize that a 10% decrease in mass along with 10% increase in power on the bike with 'all else being equal' would net a 20' bike split savings at Eagleman (about 2:47)... and the real gain would be in the run! Game on, Rockstar.M

Joe - if you go down 10% in weight, you WILL run faster w/o any extra effort. Add some training, determination and maybe a little magic fairy dust and you should be able to achieve your goals for 2010. Looking forward to being there with ya a E-man.

That is a very cool way of looking at your goals. I never would have thought to do it that way. (I am mathematically challenged!). Best of luck on your goals, I am sure you will achieve them. You are doing great and I wish you a Happy New Year.

Oh and thanks for the suggestion. You and Lisa are right, but I really like the input!